1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for determining the presence of a chemical element or compound, and more particularly, to such methods and systems that stimulate substances at selected frequencies of resonance, to produce characteristic patterns of emission that can be detected locally or from a remote distance to determine the identity and location of the substance.
2. Description of the Related Art:
A number of patents have been issued that relate to techniques for relatively short-ranged location systems, and most are designed to find a particular class of substances. Typical of these are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,159,617, and 5,233,200, issued to King et al., and Buess, et al., respectively. These patents typically relate to substances that contain Nitrogen, and generally use electromagnetic fields to disturb atomic structures, and measure the resulting emissions, as the atoms return to normal. Compared to the proposed method disclosed herein, these techniques are extremely limited, both in type of substances that can be detected, and in detection distance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,627, issued to Miller, describes a method of detecting natural nuclear emissions, without stimulation of any kind. It appears that this patent may have been based upon observations of the same, or similar, natural phenomena that are the basis of this invention, but with a different technological focus, and in an entirely different frequency band. It should be noted that the patent was issued in 1962, and has expired without major development, which indicates a lack of fulfillment of expectations. The inventors have found that substances may emit noise signals, as Miller suggests, however, they do so in response to a stimulating energy source, whether natural, or artificial, so that the laws of thermodynamics are not violated. Means of stimulating substances artificially are part of the present invention. Also, it has been found, by the present inventors, that substance emitted noise signals require interpretation in order to be useful for substance identification. Means to interpret substance generated noise is also an important part of this invention.